The Various Haunts of Men

A Simon Serrailler Mystery, Book 1

By: Susan Hill

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

A woman vanishes in the fog up on "the Hill", an area locally known for its tranquility and peace. The police are not alarmed; people usually disappear for their own reasons. But when a young girl, an old man, and even a dog disappear, no one can deny that something untoward is happening in this quiet town.

Young policewoman Freya Graffham is assigned to the case; she's new to the job, compassionate, inquisitive, and dedicated. She and the enigmatic detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler have the task of unraveling the mystery behind this gruesome sequence of events.

©2004 Susan Hill (P)2011 AudioGo

Complex Storytelling with Multilayered Characters

Susan Hill creates a rich tapestry upon which she places her story. Characters are multi-layered and interesting, the city itself intriguing. The story itself revolves around missing persons and misdirection. Intriguing up to the very end. Now I want to see where it goes from here.

Disappointing ending, to say the least

Is there anything you would change about this book?

the ENDING!!!!!

Has The Various Haunts of Men turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes, will not buy another from this author.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

NO

Any additional comments?

After 50 something chapters, the author killed off one of the MAIN characters!!! I was really shocked and disappointed, all the more so because we saw it coming for 10 chapters and had to anticipate/fear it. Ugh, too much for me. Give me a "cozy mystery" with a good ending.

Excellent narrator, good story, okay ending.

Endings can be disappointing in the sense that the reader might want one thing and the writer another. That doesn't make it a bad ending. I am glad I listened to this.

Suan Hill ..... excellent! Don't miss any of them.

I wish there were 50 books to read from this series! I've read them all and can't wait for more!

A BEST BRITISH MYSTERY

I HAVE LISTENED TO SEVERAL BRITISH MYSTERIES LATELY AND THIS WAS MY FAVORITE. I LOVE THE CHARACTERS AND SETTINGS AND WAS SO SORRY THEY KILLED OFF MY FAVORITE CHARACTER, THE DS. SHE WAS THE PERFECT LADY TO DO A WHOLE SERIES ON, SO SAD, I ALREADY MISS HER IN BOOK ONE. I LIKED THAT I COULD UNDERSTAND EACH AND EVERY WORD THE READER SPOKE, A PERFECT BRITISH ACCENT. THE RIGHT NUMBER OF CHARACTERS TO KEEP TRACK OF AND AN EXCITING STORY. AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE REST OF THE SERIES.

Decent Story, Terrible Audio Production

The narrator is fine, but you can definitely tell when he is in a studio and times when he is in a hall. This is very off putting for engagement.

Move over, Ruth Rendell and Elizabeth George

As an enthusiastic reader of British police procedurals, I was so pleased to find and thoroughly enjoy Book 1 of this series. Because Susan Hill is such a fine writer, it is more than a mere police procedural, however, and could be promoted to the category of fictional literature. I know that it is not everyone's cup of tea: the book is somewhat dark, and it does not follow a prescribed formula that we are accustomed to in books of this type.

The book tells a story of a series of puzzling disappearances in a fictional English cathedral town. Simon Serrailer is not convinced that they are connected, and it takes a detective sergeant working under him to convince him. The story does not proceed exactly as expected, and the author uses a number of unusual devices to help us get to know the characters better.

If you are a fan of "cozies" (and I enjoy a cozy myself now and again), then you might not like this book - I can see that it has received some unfavorable reviews. The ending is somewhat bleak, and yet I applaud the author for making this book realistic and eschewing the traditional happy ending.

There are a raft of characters, some of whom we can expect to find in additional books of this series, I hope. Simon Serrailer is an intriguing protagonist, and I hope to learn more about him and his family. I am downloading Book 2 as I write this, and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Didn't See It Coming!

Wow. Lots of turns and twists in this novel. While I frequently don't solve the mystery--the whodunnit--before the denouement, I usually have a sense of everything. I wasn't prepared for the conclusion of this one. Again, wow! Granted, there are several red herrings, as there should be in a good mystery, but they serve a purpose by providing several parallels and perspectives. They require that readers consider various options, what they would be willing to do in some circumstances, and how far they would go to find answers and cures. Mystery novels function on several levels: they offer what probably happened, what could happen, what couldn't happen, and then what actually happened. Seldom is a police investigation straightforward. Nothing is straightforward here, which is as it should be. I will read other novels by Susan Hill. Looking for them now . . .

Author allert

Not a bad book. Different plot, likeable characters. However, could someone tell the author that girls do not have Adams apples.

A crime thriller reminiscent of a Binchy setting

A bit slow in the first half but found I HAD to finish it. Has the intricacies and character depth of Maeve Binchy's books and the tension and criminal aspect that kept me listening to the final word. Excellent narration--will be listening to more by Susan Hill and Steven Pacey!! You should, too!